Ecclesiastes 1
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
Words of a preacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities! all is vanity.
Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, vanity of vanities: the whole [is] vanity.
3 What profit hath man of all his labour wherewith he laboureth under the sun?
What advantage [is] to man by all his labor that he labors at under the sun?
4 [One] generation passeth away, and [another] generation cometh, but the earth standeth for ever.
A generation is going, and a generation is coming, and the earth is standing for all time.
5 The sun also riseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to its place where it ariseth.
Also, the sun has risen, and the sun has gone in, and to its place panting it is rising there.
6 The wind goeth towards the south, and turneth about towards the north: it turneth about continually, and the wind returneth again to its circuits.
Going to the south, and turning around to the north, turning around, turning around, the wind is going, and by its circuits the wind has returned.
7 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full: unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.
All the streams are going to the sea, and the sea is not full; to a place to where the streams are going, there they are turning back to go.
8 All things are full of toil; none can express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
All these things are wearying; a man is not able to speak, the eye is not satisfied by seeing, nor is the ear filled from hearing.
9 That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which will be done: and there is nothing new under the sun.
What [is] that which has been? It [is] that which is, and what [is] that which has been done? It [is] that which is done, and there is not an entirely new thing under the sun.
10 Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? It hath been already in the ages which were before us.
There is a thing of which [one] says: “See this, it [is] new!” Already it has been in the ages that were before us!
11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be remembrance of things that are to come with those who shall live afterwards.
There is not a remembrance of former [generations]; and also of the latter that are, there is no remembrance of them with those that are at the last.
12 I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
I, a preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 And I applied my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: this grievous occupation hath God given to the children of men to weary themselves therewith.
And I have given my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that has been done under the heavens. It [is] a sad travail God has given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.
14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and pursuit of the wind.
I have seen all the works that have been done under the sun, and behold, the whole [is] vanity and distress of spirit!
15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
A crooked thing [one] is not able to make straight, and a lacking thing is not able to be numbered.
16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I have become great and have acquired wisdom more than all they that have been before me over Jerusalem; and my heart hath seen much of wisdom and knowledge.
I spoke with my heart, saying, “I, behold, have magnified and added wisdom above everyone who has been before me at Jerusalem, and my heart has seen wisdom and knowledge abundantly.
17 And I applied my heart to the knowledge of wisdom, and to the knowledge of madness and folly: I perceived that this also is a striving after the wind.
And I give my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I have known that even this [is] distress of spirit;
18 For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
for in abundance of wisdom [is] abundance of sadness, and he who adds knowledge adds pain.”
